Oxidative desulfurization and denitrogenation of fuels using metal-organic framework-based/-derived catalysts

Removal of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds (SCCs and NCCs) from commercial fuel is very important since those impurities can cause various problems including catalyst deactivation and acid rain. Because of the limitations of the conventional refinery methods, development of a new method such as oxidative desulfurization (ODS) is highly desirable. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based and MOF-derived nanohybrid materials were suggested as a good catalyst for ODS of fuels. Moreover, removal of NCCs via oxidation with MOF-derived catalyst was also reported even though the technique is just emerging. Therefore, it is required to analyze the reported results; and more importantly to suggest a new research direction; and finally, to estimate the possibility of new desulfurization/denitrogenation technology that might replace/compensate studied technologies. This review might be quite beneficial not only to accumulate or understand the reported results but also to develop new efficient catalysts for the probable commercialization of the ODS/ODN technology.